


Rugrat XI

by Kariachi



Category: Ben 10 Series
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Babysitting, Gen, use of the term 'chaos demon' to describe a small child
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-22
Updated: 2016-06-29
Packaged: 2018-07-16 13:29:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,478
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7270156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kariachi/pseuds/Kariachi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After a rogue spell cast during a fight leaves Kevin three years old again the job of watching him falls to Ben. A job he is woefully unprepared for.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

He’s fairly sure this isn’t how it’s supposed to work. There’s not supposed to be an old playpen, _his_ old playpen, set up in his living room. Gwendolyn’s old playpen is not supposed to be wired on top of it for extra height. Kevin is not supposed to be inside the mega playpen, and he’s especially not supposed to be three years old. 

According to Ben’s mom that’s too old to be in a playpen, but within twenty minutes of being brought to the Plumbers base for an evaluation he’d not only disappeared, but rearranged several computer files, disarmed the security system, nearly damaged the power core, and was eventually found sitting on a high shelf giggling at the chaos. It’s either the playpen or a leash, and Ben doesn’t want to risk finding out what would happen if he absorbed the Omnitrix at this age.

As it is Gwendolyn is off trying to find a way to reverse the spell he was hit by, Rook is helping to repair the damage to the base, and Mrs. Tennyson is off buying toddler-sized clothes just in case, leaving Ben alone watching Kevin sleep off the earlier excitement. He is alone and bored bored bored. Television isn’t an option, for fear of waking the little chaos demon that his best friend apparently was, is, whatever, nor is playing games or putting on music. Ben can’t pop in headphones because babysitting, solitaire is almost as boring as watching a sleeping toddler, and he can’t go get a book to read because he’s certain the moment he turns his back Kevin will have vanished again. So he sits on the couch and watches his best friend lay snoring under a throw.

It’s been an hour and he’s about sure it’s worth the risk.

Getting on his hands and knees Ben makes sure one more time that Kevin is sleeping, then begins creeping towards his room as quietly as he can. He isn’t sure just what level of noise will wake his friend up, but he doesn’t want to do so. The trip feels like it takes forever, and he doesn’t even rise to his feet until Kevin’s out of sight, but eventually he makes it and begins rifling through his comics.

He’s in the process of choosing between volume four and volume sixteen of the Sumo Slammers comic series when the smoke alarm goes off.

In an instant the comics are on the floor and Ben is running back through the house because smoke and fire and _toddler who’s essentially in a cage_ and Ben did not become a hero so he could hesitate on these things. He rounds the corner, barges in the doorway, and freezes. A large section of the mega playpen is missing and ringed with fire, the floors are scorched and scratched, the couch is ablaze. The knob to the front door has been ripped out and is sitting in the entryway, the door is also smoldering. Kevin is nowhere to be seen.

Sometimes it sucks to be right.


	2. Chapter 2

He’s in the neighbors’ yard, happily barking at their dog who is thankfully not on fire. Ben takes in the scene, Kevin on his hands and knees, Kineceleran tail swaying behind him, trying to get the dog to play with him, and the dog sitting there calmly, dealing very well with the presence of a hundred-pound chimeric toddler in her yard. He’s tempted to leave his friend where he is.

Dialing the Omnitrix, Ben heads back inside.

Heatblast makes quick work of the fires, which by the time he’d found Kevin and returned had spread to an end table, demolished the mega playpen, and started on the entertainment system. Deciding that the dog will probably keep Kevin occupied- and that there’s not likely to be any passersby willing to snatch up a kid who’s partially made of lava and has teeth like a dragon- once Ben reverts back he instead turns his attention to repairing what damage he can. Cleaning up the bits of the front door lying around, setting the knob aside in case his dad can fix it, gathering up the curtains and throws that now reek of smoke and tossing them in the hamper in the bathroom. There’s not much to be done about the furniture, or the floors, but he hopes his parents will forgive him for such toddler related damages.

Besides, his dad has always hated that couch.

In the end there’s maybe ten, fifteen minutes between when he heads inside to when he walks back out. Remembering a comment Kevin had made once about shapeshifting leaving him hungry, he’s grabbed something for them to eat and one of his oldest books. Hopefully if he can get him to sit still for a little while Kevin won’t be any more trouble and they can survive until Gwendolyn fixes things. Ben waves the Tupperware full of leftovers as he steps off the porch, mouth opening to call Kevin.

Who is nowhere to be seen.

A quick glance around the area finds the dog at least, sulking on her masters’ porch and looking slightly singed. Ben chews his lip and heads down the road a bit, scanning everywhere for a sign of the small child. He even makes sure to look up at the roofs- Kevin doesn’t seem to have wings at this age, but he’s already proven to know how to climb. There’s nothing. Not even a hint of fire to say where he might have headed. A million news headlines and horror stories flick through Ben’s mind as he drops the book and food and goes for the Omnitrix, dialing up the first thing with wings he finds.

Hopefully Pesky Dust will have an easier time than him.

The search isn’t quick. It’s not quick and he’s certain he’s missed a good five phone calls by the time he finds what he’s looking for. Following a trail formed of bits of fire and the occasional broken object has brought Ben a good distance from his house, to where the suburbs begin to peter out into countryside. He lands beside a mass of dead foliage in the center of a wall of green, transforming back and smiling when the bright light and burst of energy prompts rustling in the dry branches.

“Kevin?” he asks, voice rough; he’s been calling that name for a while now. Slowly, he gets to his knees and works his way into the hedge. There’s a big hole at the base of the plants leading inward, and at the end of it he finds a small wall of large eyes not quite managing to hide behind a long green tail. “Decided to eat some landscaping, huh?” Kevin curls up tighter, trying very hard to not make eye contact. It doesn’t work well, something he clearly finds distressing. Ben sighs.

“I’m not angry at you or anything.” He tries to reach for Kevin, who somehow manages to curl into an even tighter ball of eyes and linen. “Are you hurt?” For a moment the only sound is the crinkling of dead shrubbery.

“Nu-uh.” The statement comes with a little shake of the head. It’s worryingly cute, given the only other time Kevin has been in this shape he was trying to kill everyone around him. Ben reaches for him again.

“You want to come out then?” He doesn’t move. Ben sighs again, gesturing him closer. “Come on, Kev, there’s cookies back home that I want to get to.” All of Kevin’s eyes light up at the word ‘cookies’, his upset instantly forgotten in the face of potential treats. Within a minute he’s uncurled himself, worked his way free of his shrubby hide-out and locked his arms around Ben’s neck.

“Shi- Man you’re heavy,” Ben says as he backs out of the foliage and struggles to his feet, one arm supporting his friend. As soon as he’s standing he has to wrap his other arm around the toddler to take his weight- he must be at least seventy pounds in this form- and he’s fairly certain the strong grip on his neck is pulling a few vertebrae out of alignment, but he can’t help but smile at those big red eyes staring up at him.

“Cookies please?” Yep, definitely adorable.

“As soon as we get home, Kev.” Flashing his teeth, and trying to ignore the gnarly set that Kevin flashes back, Ben turns toward the road and stops. There are all of five houses on this street, all with large yards and no cars in the driveways. They’re at least a half-hour flight from home with no transportation and the Omnitrix needs time to recharge before he can use it again. He bites back a groan.

He might have to call someone to pick them up.

It sure as hell won’t be Gwendolyn.


End file.
